Level
by ga-mei
Summary: After a heated argument, Raven leaves the Titans, taking on the alias, Rachel Roth. Robin is left to deal with the fact that he might not play fair when it comes to team work. The Dark Knight and Slade are left to teach them both their lessons.
1. The Fight

Level

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><p>AN: So I really had the urge to write some RobXRae, but it's a really complicated pairing, if some of you might agree. Plus I like to keep things in character/running smoothly, etc. There might be a few side pairings/onesided pairings, but those are to be determined later.

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><p>I don't own anything.<p>

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><p><em> "You're part of a TEAM Raven, so start acting like a member of it!"<em>

_ "Well maybe you should stop acting like you are superior to everyone!"_

_ "I LEAD this team! Are you forgetting?"_

_ "Leading and dictating are two different things!"_

_ "Who are you to call me a-" SLAM!_

_ And she was gone._

Fifteen, twenty minutes later, the door remained the same. Shut. The fabric that shielded his eyes began to grow damp as his emotions bubbled over. He wasn't sobbing, but a tear or two did manage to escape the absorption of the fabric.

An hour later. Still shut.

"Um…Robin…" A cautious, soprano voice whispered from behind. It wasn't until that moment that Robin realized the remaining members of the Titans hadn't moved an inch since the abrupt end of the vicious banter. "Is she…coming back?"

Robin sucked in his breath. He didn't know the answer to Starfire's question. It was inevitable to probably everyone but her that he was just as unaware of the answer as anyone else. But the other mind boggling decision was how he chose to word his reply. He could try and convince her that Raven had no where else to go, and would therefore return. Or he could try and ration that it might be a while, but that Raven would come to her senses. "I don't know, Star."

The words tasted like poison as he spoke them. They had to be the most honest words he had spoken in a while. As hard as it was for Robin to give up a scheme, it was even harder for him to admit that he didn't know something.

Raven's departure had left him paralyzed. She had shot so many words at him that shattered like broken glass, only to leave a painful aftermath. She had berated how he treated her and Beast Boy as if they were lesser to his being, rather than the equality he often shared with Cyborg and Starfire. It had left him worn and confused at the anger that had seethed through her teeth as she verbally attacked him. Did she really feel that way? Did he really treat her as a lesser being? He tried to convince himself otherwise, he had been taught by the best after all, and it was hard for him to believe he had been taught any degree short of perfect.

To the other Titans, he appeared numb. Cold. One by one they all shuffled past his still being to respectfully leave him in his solitude. It only took five minutes of isolation before thoughts swirled around his head, and nerves tugged at the Boy Wonder, sending him bolting out of the common room, into the elevator. The thirty seconds it took for the doors to close, the 2nd flood button to be pushed, and the elevator to reach the floor seemed to take an eternity for him. His legs picked up speed as he leapt from the metal doors, sprinting down the hall. The metal on his shoes screeched as he stopped in front of a door. Her door.

"Rae." He muttered softly, pressing his forehead against the door. "Raven."

He didn't expect a reply, and he was fully aware that he wouldn't receive one. But that didn't stop him from muttering her name once more before he slid her door open. The sight shocked him. Although light had once been forbidden, it now filled every crevice, only accentuating the now barren, clear space that had once been Raven's room. The curtains had been hiked back to allow such a flood of light, provoking unease in the pit of Robin's stomach.

"Holy…where did all her stuff go?" A voice cracked. Robin whirled around, his eyes narrowing as Beast Boy stood behind him. Surely Beast Boy knew he wanted to be alone, but that never did seem to stop the curious Titan. At Robin's movement, Beast Boy squeezed himself past the door into the bright space, bumbling around in awe before he found himself in the center of the room.

"I don't know." Robin's reply was more of surrender, in the sense that he had lost one of few arguments concerning a Titan member. His head dropped and his hand rose to grasp the post of the door. "She probably took it to god knows where." And with those words, he left the room, leaving the green changeling to heave a small sigh in the empty space.

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><p>She wasn't stupid.<p>

She knew her powers, her capabilities. She also knew about her pasty skin and purple hair. But Raven made sure she was always prepared. Arella had made sure of that as well. A well hidden secret, even more so than the one she had hid until her sixteenth birthday, was Raven's alias, her Earth form. She may have been able to get away with pasty skin and purple hair under the wing of Azar, or as a Teen Titan, but now that she had left the tower for the time being, she'd prefer not to attract attention until she chose to return as one.

Assuming a different appearance was simple for Raven, it was actually a spell she had put on herself upon arriving to Earth in order to retain the physical features she originally and traditionally bore in Azarath. The quick removal of the spell would ensure that she resume "Earth form" so the head monk had once called it.

Raven teleported herself into a gas station bathroom. Not her ideal location to remove anything, let alone a spell, but it would have to do. With the flick of her wrist, black magic engulfed the lock on the door, flipping it to "occupied". Raven pulled off her belt and cloak, opening a portal, shoving the items inside. She didn't need her locators giving her away. As the portal closed she raised her hands, black magic filling her fingertips.

"Carazon Rakashas Endere." The words just barely slipped off of her tongue, her eyes flashing white as dark magic swirled above her head, like a thin disk. The disk of magic dropped to the floor, engulfing her body to provoke the change. Raven's eyes shut as she felt her leotard dissipate with the magic, replacing the iconic outfit with a little more trendy attire. Once she felt the warm magic leave her body, her eyes snapped open. She flinched at the reflection in the mirror.

"Gross." She muttered, peering closer at herself. Her pasty grey skin had warmed up to an olive complexion, giving her the same dewy glow that she often scowled upon. Her violet hair had lengthened and thickened. The violet hue had darkened to a jet black, and although she retained the middle parting, the straight essence of her hair that she enjoyed maintaining had vanished, leaving wavy locks that reached just beyond her breast. The only change she didn't find distasteful was the change of her eyes. The violet had melted away to reveal light brown orbs. The fact that the color was so plain was almost a relief to her. She was also pleased to find that she kept her thick lashes, which had secretly been one of her favorite features of herself.

"Makeup? Seriously…" She grimaced at the dark smokey eye shadow and pigmented black cat liner that decorated her eyelids. Her finger flipped on the tap water and she cupped her hands, bringing the water up to her face to attempt to scrub off the makeup. She growled at the mirror when her efforts failed, upset that the feature was permanent. "It didn't even smudge."

She brought her hand up to feel the empty space on her forehead. Not seeing her gem was almost foreign, but then and again, so was her new physique. She straightened the oversized cream sweater that hung on her body and tugged at the black leggings that clung to her legs, leading down to the heeled boots that covered her feet.

"And heels." She looked up at the ceiling. "Great." She knew how to walk in heels just fine. She just hated it. She was, however, pleasantly surprised to find that they were rather comfortable once she took a few steps around the bathroom in it. She began to study her appearance in the mirror, now slightly entranced by the alter ego she had taken such measures to hide from the world.

_Thud._

"Anyone in there? I really gotta use the john." A heavily accented southern female murmured from the other side of the door. Raven's head whirled towards the door. She scrunched up her nose a little as she realized she had to leave the bathroom soon and figure out accommodations for herself.

She moved briskly to the exit, flipping the lock and opening the door. "It's all yours." She muttered to the stout blonde woman, before brushing past her into the open minimart. She felt an awkward substance bound in her chest and glanced around to make sure she was alone before shoving her hand up her shirt. She felt two plastic cards fastened in between her flesh and her bra. Wrinkling her nose once more she yanked them free, holding them up in the light. One was a plastic Master Card. Her eyebrow arched at the card, surprised at its presence but at the same time grateful. She flipped it behind the second card, which she easily recognized as a form of identification.

"Rachel Roth." The name rolled off of her tongue uncomfortably. As much distaste that she found for the alias, she was faced with the fact to accept that it was her name. She lifted the hem of her sweater and shoved the plastic cards in between the flesh of her hips and the tight leggings.

Exiting the minimart, she crossed the street to head further into Jump City. She usually saw it from a bird's eye perspective, so seeing it from a different point of view was a whole new experience for her. Usually she would be downtown where the pizzeria was smack dab in the center of things, but she could tell that she was almost at the outskirts. An unsettling feeling made itself known in the pit of her stomach as she realized she would have to explore her way through the city in order to find her way to familiar parts, She found that to be much more different than flying to a certain sector with a purpose.

Well. She _could_ fly. She just didn't want to draw the attention. One thing would lead to another and in the end she'd wind up back at Titan's Tower, whether it is as Rachel or Raven.

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><p>Robin sat at the base of the master computer, his leg drawn up to his chin, the corresponding arm resting on his knee, hand knotted in his hair. His eyes were scrunched into small slits as he furiously typed java scripts into the computer. He had been doing this for most of the afternoon, thankful for the lack of interruptions due to the little excursions he was able to send Starfire, Beast Boy, and Cyborg on.<p>

"What's going on, man?" He heard Cyborg's curious but firm question behind him and chose to ignore his friend, continuing to type in the script. Despite his annoyance at Cyborg's presence it wasn't difficult to understand why the metal man was confused in the fluctuations of Robin's behavior. If anything, he was more irritated at the fact that he hadn't kept Cyborg's 'excursion' enough to distract him from the Boy Wonder, but then and again, Cyborg did seem to be less likely to cause a nuisance than the curious Alien or the pesty Changeling. "You can fool Starfire and you can distract BB, but not me."

Robin's mind was diverted for a moment as he recalled sending Starfire out for some flamboyant pastry that did not exist and Beast Boy out with a pouch full of coins to indulge at the new Mega Arcade that was on the outskirts of Jump City. He also recalled sending Cyborg out on an all-you-can-eat buffet, his treat, but that had obviously just rose suspicion in the half-human, half-robot build.

"Is this about the Raven thing?" Cyborg continued.

"No. It's not actually, but thanks for bringing that back onto my plate." Robin muttered, spinning around to face Cyborg. "Actually," He reached out to touch one of the speakers, playing with a little bit of the felt that had come off of it. "Someone hacked into our database last night. I only noticed when I went online this morning to track Raven, interrupting the download from a foreign computer."

Cyborg's mouth was open ajar, seemingly dumbstruck that anyone could have hacked the Titan's database, which he had put most of his time in ensuring top security. "And why didn't you tell me Rob?" He rushed forward to see what different codes were flashing on the smaller screen. "Let me have a look." The Boy Wonder rose from his seat, allowing Cyborg to sit down and try to figure things out.

"Instead of trying to block out the unwanted party, I tried to connect the world map with our database to try and pinpoint the location. If we take down the person, they won't be a problem to us any longer." His fist connected with his palm in a small gesture that showed he meant business.

"Thanks Rob. Go get yourself something in the fridge, you haven't eaten all day and you're already scrawny to begin with. You're no use to us if you're skin and bones." Cyborg chuckled, knowing his playful banter would strike a hidden nerve in Robin. While he knew the minor insult was going to only deepen Robin's dark mood, he knew it was necessary in order to provoke the Hero to get food.

And it worked, of course. Robin left Cyborg alone and found his way to the fridge, opening it to examine its contents. He couldn't say he was all too surprised to find spoiled milk, frozen leftover pizza, frozen waffles, a half eaten cup of pudding that had some fuzz growing on it, an opened jar of jelly that also had some fuzz growing on it, and a piece of moldy Swiss cheese. Robin grabbed for the pizza and the waffles, deciding he'd eat one or both, depending on how old they were and what their contents were.

"How old's the pizza?" He called out to Cyborg. His attention was momentarily distracted from the food as he took note of Cyborg's furious typing. Cyborg looked back at him and examined the two items he held in his hand.

"The pizza's either two days, or a week old. Don't eat the waffles, they're tofu. Beast Boy's." He turned back to the computer, and Robin shrugged. He set the pizza aside as he returned to the refrigerator to replace the tofu waffles. "Oh god. Robin. Get over here." Cyborg's alarmed voice caused Robin to snap up, bumping his head on the refrigerator.

"What?" Robin's voice was equally alarmed, almost as if he was preparing for the worst. He shut the fridge and made his way to Cyborg's side with only a few brisk paces.

"I located our intruder." Cyborg gestured up to the main screen, where a large map of the United States was shown. Robin's eyes widened when he saw the red tracking dot beeping on the North-East sector of the States.

"No way…" Robin muttered, almost in awe. "There's no way."

"Yes way." Cyborg confirmed, narrowing in on the dot. It narrowed in on the North-Eastern sector, then the state, then the City, then the building. "It looks like someone misses you a little."

_Wayne Enterprises, Gotham City_


	2. Flashbacks

A/n: I don't own anything

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><p>"Somebody help me!" The shriek filled the silent street that Raven had decided to wander down. The hero inside of her jerked towards the plea, stopping only once she remembered that she wasn't supposed to be her, and that she wasn't supposed to do anything to create suspicion. The cry for help echoed the street again. "Help me! Somebody!"<p>

Emotions mixed through Raven's head as she bit down on her lip. Out of the corner of her eye she saw black magic suffocating a parking meter, the metal shriveling up as it began to bend for the ground. "No!" She hissed, snapping back into submission. The meter crumpled to the ground as her magic released it, she felt horrified knowing that her emotions were being unintentionally toyed with. It killed her to know that if something happened to this woman, in her mind, she would forever accuse herself as an accomplice.

Her feet started moving backwards towards the alley that she had heard the cry, her boots clicking against the concrete. She knew she had to help this person. Maybe she'd knock them out while she fought, in order to keep herself hidden. Her body froze as she saw a teenage girl huddled in the corner of an alley, Mammoth standing before her. Rage boiled up in Raven as she saw the overwhelmingly large male grasp the small slender female, as if she were a branch.

"Let her go!' Raven growled. She saw Mammoth's head whirl around, his eyes wide. Raven's breath hitched in her throat as she watched him study her for a moment. Once she had heard her own voice again, she realized it was the same, and she knew that's what caused Mammoth's temporary spell of horror. Once he assumed that she was not in fact the infamous dark Titan, he chuckled a little, turning back to his prey.

"Help me!" The girl screamed again, struggling to get a view of Raven. "Help me, please!" Her struggles in Mammoth's oversized hands were useless, only tiring her out sooner.

"Ain't nobody gonna be helping you sweetheart." Mammoth glanced back at Raven. "Don't worry sugar cake, you're next." He winked at her before he leapt onto a trash receptacle. The latter of the villain's words struck a particularly sore spot with Raven. She felt her magic overcoming her as her eyes began to glow white.

"Don't call me 'sugar cake'." She growled, watching Mammoth leap up towards the roof. She thrust her hand out, a scowl grimaced her face as she clenched her fist. A swirl of dark magic captured Mammoth, causing him to glance down, confused. She slammed him down onto the ground, back first, as to not harm the victim in his arms. She raised her hands to create a black shield as rubble from the alley way blew her way, and advanced towards the villain. She knew it could only be a few moments before Gizmo or Seymore came looking for him.

With her magic she pulled the girl from Mammoth's grasp. She was relieved to see the girl in a limbo between consciousness and unconsciousness. Gently, she set the girl on some black trash bags, and turned to handle the large villain before her.

Brushing some rubble off, Mammoth's eyes narrowed to slits as he studied 'Rachel' further. "What are you? Who are you?" He grumbled, cracking his knuckles before charging forward.

Raven knew she wouldn't be able to access her powers this time without her mantra, so she raised her knee right before Mammoth's head had planned to make contact with her stomach. She gasped as his hard head made connection with her knee, but she knew the damage to him would be much greater.

"Little bitch!" Mammoth roared, grabbing Raven's body and pinning her against the wall. "I'll teach you to mess with me." His strong hand cupped her throat, a sudden realization of alarm pumping through Raven's veins as she found it increasingly hard to breathe. Her heart began to speed up, her mind flying every which way as she struggled to focus and figure out how to escape his grasp. Her state of panic caused rushed, short breaths, earning a grin of satisfaction from Mammoth. "That's right. You won't be escaping any time soon."

Raven squinted her eyes shut, blocking the massive villain from her mind, trying to distract herself from the breaths that were becoming more difficult to take. There was no doubt about it; she would not be able to escape him with her natural strength and physical being. She would either have to phase into the shadow raven, or exercise her abilities on him. Neither sounded appealing to her. She combed through her mind to see if she could remember a memory-loss spell. If she could, then she wouldn't have to worry about fighting, she could give it her all and just erase the memory of him and his prey and move on with her life.

Raven's eyes snapped open, glowing white. This caused a falter in Mammoth's smile as confusion crossed his eyes. "No. I'll teach _you_ to mess with _me_! Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" Raven's eyes narrowed as black magic swallowed Mammoth, yanking him away from her. She dropped to the ground, clutching her heart as she gasped for air. Her head whipped up to watch Mammoth slam into the wall. She raised her hand to control her magic, taking him and slamming him back onto the ground, then back up to the brick wall. She felt the ground slip from her feet as she lifted off the ground, meeting Mammoth at the wall.

"Titan?" Mammoth's gruff voice puffed, proving to be an exhaustion to even speak at the moment. Raven's eyes narrowed as she pressed her thumb against his forehead. While she had no distaste to being a Titan, it did seem to irritate her when villains would remember Robin's name or Cyborg's name, but never hers. She was part of a team, but it was nice to be recognized as an individual once in a while. She glanced back at the ground, allowing her magic to capture the unconscious girl, bringing her up closer within reach. Raven gently pressed her thumb against the girl's forehead as well.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos." She closed her eyes as she felt the most recent of events seep from the minds of the girl and Mammoth. A cop siren disrupted her concentration, and her eyes opened. She quickly lowered the girl to the ground, laying her to rest, being a little more careless for Mammoth's descent when she simply released him from her hold, allowing him to drop to the ground. She raised her arms and allowed the shadow raven to encase her body, sending her flying off to downtown with the cover of the shadow.

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><p>"Why would the big man want to hack you?" Cyborg asked, with his eyes wide at Robin. Cyborg would have been better off talking to himself though, as Robin was lost deep in thought, allowing his team mates words to run in one ear and right out the other. Ironically, he had been focused on the same general point. Emotions began to hammer at the Dark Knight's former apprentice, forcing him to wonder if it was about time to reveal part of his past to his friends.<p>

"I think it's time I told you-"

But that's as far as he got before the alarms sounded, the red flashing light pulsating at every bellow of noise. Robin gestured to Cyborg to pinpoint the whereabouts of the attack, and he could see the map flying from New York over to California, narrowing in on Jump City, even further so to the Mega Arcade. Both boys jumped back slightly as Starfire's face lit up the screen, her emerald eyes torn in a sight of panic, screams of hysteria echoing from the spectators behind her.

"Friends!" Starfire exclaimed, glancing back every so often to check her back. "Friend Beast Boy and I have encountered the Overload! He is wiping out the power of all the new game boxes! Come quickly!" And as quickly as she had grasped the center of the screen, she had gone.

"Cyborg, let's go!" Robin shouted, sharing a knowing glance with the robot man before the two sprinted off to their vehicles. Robin heaved a deep breath as he entered the garage, mounting the R-cycle as he and Cyborg prepared to head downtown. It had been ill timing that Overload chose to attack the moment Robin had actually considered revealing his carefully guarded past. The fact he would have to go into battle knowing he was going to tell Cyborg afterwards almost made him anxious, now that he was prepared to speak, he wanted to _immediately_.

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><p>Raven's feet gingerly touched the ground at the piers. She took a small sigh, pressing her fingers to her temples. She needed to find somewhere to meditate, and quick. She hadn't realized how embarrassingly <em>easy<em> it had been to bump into a villain, and she was in no mood to want to repeat the process. She was at the edge of the docks, and she glanced over to her right at the long row of storage compartments. She smirked as she noticed a sliver of space in between the storage compartment and the very edge of the dock. It was visible to those on the water, but it would prove to be enough coverage from those on land.

Raven pulled a small branch from the cliff side beside the dock and storage compartments, clearing out the cobwebs that had accumulated in the corner between the earth of the cliff and the storage compartment. She tossed the branch in the water before sitting down in the corner, pressing her back straight up against the earth.

Deep breaths inhaled and exhaled through her nose and mouth, she focused on the rhythmic breathing, as she would not risk chanting her usual warble for fear of anyone hearing her. She began to mull over the situation that started all of the day's trouble, leading up to her temporary departure from the Titans.

_Raven and Starfire circled the skies near the pizzeria, both girls focused at the task at hand. Plasmus was robbing the building and dirtying the streets, causing people to scream and scatter like M&M's off of a smooth surface. Raven reached down as her communicator beeped, signaling Starfire to come closer. _

_ "Raven! Starfire!" Robin's voice attempted to dominate the amounts of static that crackled through the speakers. "I need you two to distract Plasmus with Beast Boy, Cyborg and I will sweep in and deliver the final blow!" Raven nodded, the task was easy enough._

_ "Friend Raven, might I see that for a moment?" Starfire inquired, holding out her hand. "Yours is already on." Raven thought nothing of it, tossing the communicator to Starfire to further question Robin's plan. She however, was going to get right down to distracting Plasmus. _

_ "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" She chanted, her hands glowing as dark as her magic. Her eyes became a powerful white as her magic consumed two light poles, ripping them up from the ground. She raised her left hand and the left light pole went flying into the muck that was Plasmus. "Hah!" Raven grunted, sending the right light pole into Plasmus' eye. The glob of goop screeched in agony as it struggled to remove the metal from its glassy mucus green eye. _

_ Raven ducked out of the way as she heard Starfire's battle cry, followed by the rain of starbolts the Tamaranian chose to send flying at the blinded monster. Raven rounded Plasmus to attack from the other side, raising her arm to send daggers of black magic at him. _

_ "Azarath Metrion- uumph!" Raven tried to complete her chant, but Plasmus sent out an arm of goop at her, adhering itself to her body. The shriek from the other side made Raven alert that Starfire might have been caught as well. Before Raven had a chance to think, she could feel her body colliding with the hard concrete. "Fu-agh!" The profanity was cut short as she caught wind of an incoming punch, rolling to the side to avoid it. _

_ Raven flew up out of the crater her impact had created, staggering over to a parking meter. A ringing in her head made her more worried than Plasmus, Cinderblock, or even Slade could. If she lost control from the dizziness, worse things could happen._

_ "Raven!" She heard Robin shouting, amidst the chaos. "What are you waiting for?" He screamed. Her eyes narrowed slightly. Ever since she had used her astral projection to take out Plasmus on the "last day of Earth" that had usually been how they took out the oversized glop. She hated doing it though, because unbeknownst to her friends, it took hours of meditation post use to get her mental plain back on track. _

_ "Robin!" Her voice rose slightly as she tried to see him through the dust and the black spots that were beginning to obscure her vision. _

_ "Raven, watch it!" She heard Cyborg warn her, in a distressed tone. Her eyes began to widen as she wondered what it could be that he was talking about. Soon enough her vision became completely impaired. The mix of lack of sight paired up with a horrible migraine sent her to the ground, her ears ringing from the screams of people around her. "Raven!" She heard Cyborg yell._

_ She squeezed her eyes shut, slamming her palms onto the ground. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" She screamed, her weakened state getting the better of her. She could feel her magic spreading across the pavement, giving her a mental image of everyone's location. She felt Starfire's unmoving body on the pavement, Robin and Cyborg. Her eyes squinted further as she felt Plasmus. She turned her body in his direction, pulling herself into a cross legged position. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" She muttered, sending her astral self hurling at Plasmus. _

"Sweet Raven…" She heard a velvet cool voice speak her name, but thought nothing of it. Her breaths began to pick up in discomfort, the temperature rising slightly.

_"Raven! You can't lose control like that!" Robin hissed at her in the main room. Raven sat on the couch, her legs propped up on the coffee table with an ice bag pressed to her forehead. A cup of herbal tea was in her free hand, a dark look narrowing itself at Robin. "You've been slacking off lately. You're stronger than that, and on top of that you even forgot your communicator?" _

_ Raven's eyes widened at the accusation, her mouth stretching to shoot back a response._

_ "Friend Robin, it was not Friend Raven who forgot her communicator. I had asked to do the borrowing of it, because…I accidentally did not bring my own." Starfire admitted sheepishly, pulling out Raven's communicator from her belt. Raven glanced over at the other female, who gently set the communicator on the table. "If you wish to blame anyone, blame me." Her voice was soft and gentle, a soothing relief from Robin's hostile remarks._

_ "Starfire that's not the only reason I was frustrated." Robin took a moment to stroke his temple. "Raven also lost control of her powers." He turned back to the sorceress. "Before you finished off Plasmus there was magic going every which way! Do you know how dangerous that is?" He growled._

_ Raven rose to her feet, the coffee mug escorted to the table with a saucer of dark magic. "Of course I know how dangerous it is." Her monotone voice had slight bit of edge to it, but it was nonetheless cool and collected. "Why do you think I strive so hard to keep my powers in check? Why do you think I isolate myself from the rest of the world?" Her eyes widened slightly, the only form of emotion she showed. "Because when I begin to lose control, bad things happen. And don't pretend like you haven't lost control before, because you have." Her words were clipped and crisp._

"_Anytime Slade's name is mentioned, you twitch. The man has had you pull 3 all nighters in a row, to the point where the only thing you are running on is the adrenaline fueled by the smallest sliver of hope that you might be able to find him. And end him." Raven's voice struck a nerve in Robin as he backed up slightly, his mask narrowing as he glared at her._

"_You may be the leader of this team, so act like the leader, not a teacher. I am not your apprentice." Raven stepped forward. She heard the coffee mug crack on the table and Beast Boy murmur a few cuss words as he dove to save the remote. "If I mess up I would favor a suggestion. You have no right, no authority, and no experience to reprimand me. But now that I think about it, the only other person you seem to lecture is Beast Boy." Raven's head turned to look at the changeling._

"_Uh…please don't bring me into this." Beast Boy rationed, dumping the remote on the couch. "I'd rather stay out of this." He morphed into a dog, leaping onto the couch._

"_What are you talking about?" Robin demanded, stepping towards Raven. "I treat everyone equally!" His rage did not cause the slightest flinch in her features; in fact, they only provoked her to step forward, removing her hood as she spoke to him. _

"_Don't lie to me so easily." Raven muttered. "You tried to use the communicator situation against me, and once you heard it was Starfire you backed down instantly. Beast Boy and I are treated as lesser beings, because admit it Robin. You don't feel threatened by us. You think that you could beat us in a fight." Her eyes narrowed. "Well I have some news for you. You aren't as strong as you believe. You may have an impressive past, but that doesn't make you invincible. It doesn't make you superior."_

_Robin's eyes widened slightly. "How did you know about-"_

"_I've been inside your mind before Robin. Things like that don't escape the mind easy." She poked him in the chest. "I think sometimes you forget who you're talking to. I think sometimes you forget how to treat your team equally." With each comment she poked him again in the chest. _

"_I think you're jealous of the attention that you don't get!" Robin growled. This earned a small chuckle from Raven._

_"Attention? Right. That's it Robin. You got me." Her voice dripped with sarcasm. Emotions began to bubble up in her; she found it so infuriating to be around him when he was so narrow minded._

"_You're part of a TEAM Raven, so start acting like a member of it!"_

_"Well maybe you should stop acting like you are superior to everyone!" Raven was shocked at the tone of voice she was giving Robin. She usually never rose her voice, never revealed as much emotion as she currently was. The room was becoming increasingly more difficult to be in; she could feel the eyes of Beast Boy, Cyborg, and Starfire penetrating into her. The coffee table shattered at her feet, and she stared at it with wide eyes, appalled at her lack of control._

_"I LEAD this team! Are you forgetting?"_

_"Leading and dictating are two different things!" The words were slipping through her mouth like butter. Raven began to feel overwhelmed, knowing it was in her best interest to leave. She started backing up towards the door._

_"Who are you to call me a-" SLAM!_

"Miss Roth…Rachel Roth…" The smooth voice floated through her mind. This name, unlike its last attempt, did cause a reaction of sorts. Her eyes snapped open, widening to the size of saucers as she pushed herself back into the cliff in fear.

"Slade!"


	3. A Proposition

A/n: Alright so there's a little _implied_ RobXStar in this chapter, just because it's so inevitable. I won't ever have them do much gushy stuff as I personally hate the pairing. My goal as clearly shown in the pairing listing, is to work away from that, and end in Rob Rae

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><p>I don't own anything<p>

"Slade!" The words escaped Raven's lips as no more than a whisper, earning a glimmer of satisfaction from the only visible part of Slade's body, his eyes.

"Sweet Raven, we meet again." His tone was cool and slow as he approached her. She rose up defensively, her eyes beginning to glow a pure white. She flinched as he held up a hand, her arms rising defensively. "There is no need for that; I'm not going to attack you. At least not yet. I have…a proposition of some sorts."

Raven arched her eyebrows; nothing that involved Slade was ever good. Only suspicious. She mentally scolded herself for letting her guard down after her fight with Mammoth, she should've remained prepared for any sort of confrontation from any person despite how imperative meditation was. She wasn't sure what was keeping her from flying away, but it probably had to do something with the question that was lingering on her tongue.

"Why should I listen to you?" Her voice was shaky, but her eyes faded from the vibrant white back to the normal creamy brown color. She watched him crouch down to her level, his arms resting on his knees.

"Because, sweet Rachel." He began. The name caused her blood to run cold, her new warm-toned skin taking on a paler shade. She opened her mouth to speak, but he continued, cutting her off. "That's right. I can see right through you. You're forgetting I worked for your father at one point. He was sure to prepare me in many ways if you tried to _escape _from what was supposed to be your destiny. But that's irrelevant. I'm looking for a temporary partner of sorts."

"Partner? I don't see why I would be an ideal choice. I'm a Teen Titan." Raven's eyes narrowed. This didn't make sense to her, his logic; nothing about Slade ever seemed to make sense. That was probably why the thought of Slade drove Robin so crazy.

"I'm not asking for this to be a long term deal. I'm not expecting it to work. I'm not even expecting you to agree. Merely to try." Slade rose up to his feet, the action prompting Raven to follow in his footsteps and try as well. "You know as well as any other Titan that my record with apprentices isn't exactly impressive. But I have something that you could learn to covet, and you have the abilities to get what I want."

"Continue." Raven's suspicions only rose at Slade's proposition. Her first assumption was that he would use her powers to take the City down, in which case she would make sure to get as far away from him as possible.

"I have the abilities and technology to help you control your powers without the painfully obvious and sometimes annoyingly long mantra that you chant." Slade pulled a single metal cuff from a pouch on his belt, and extended it towards her. "This cuff has the ability to harness your powers. There is a dial on it that determines how much energy you exert. Along with training you mentally I would be able to train you physically, and with this cuff you could turn off your powers completely to train."

"Get that away from me." Raven flinched, shoving her wrists behind her back. "I don't fall for your tricks Slade. I'm not a dimwit like Terra." Her nose scrunched up in distaste as she continued. "You have still failed to specify what it is that you would be getting out of this deal, and while you make a rather convincing case, I can't go around worrying if that cuff will bind with my skin, selling my soul to you, or something ridiculous along those lines."

"Oh Rachel -"

"_Don't_ call me that."

"Very well. Raven. I've learned a lesson or two with the absurd turnouts of my former apprentices and partnerships. With both come trust, and sometimes you have to give a little to get a little." The way he spoke was clean and formal, though the current situation left Raven enraged at how calm he was. His voice, though very smooth and refined, sounded like nails on the chalkboard that was her patience. "The cuff will not attach to your skin, that's where you must put a little faith in me, and in turn, I will put a little faith in you." He reached into his pocket, pulling out a small key. "The key to the cuff."

"And your own motives?"

"There is someone in a city far from here that has something that I want. Call him what you want, many believe that he is a Prince of Crime of some sorts. The heist will take place two months from the end of the week. I hope to know by the end of the week as to whether you are willing to forge this temporary alliance, in which case more information pertaining to this situation will be at your fingertips. Despite my motives I know you are aware that I am a man of my word and that you are free to leave this arrangement within the first month. But I will have you know that if my secrets are leaked, then yours will be as well."

Raven frowned at all the words Slade put to her. "Why would you call this temporary?" She asked, her curiosity getting the better of her. She was disgusted at the curiosity that was overpowering her subconscious. Sometimes the line that separated her good from evil wore very thin or became smudged.

"This is temporary because I realize how difficult it would be to get you to comply with a long-term arrangement. Also, everything is temporary. Life. Marriage. Partnerships." Slade gave a small shrug. "You are free to test out that cuff. It's yours to keep. Consider it a free gift."

"Why would you give me something that could work against you?" Raven arched an eyebrow, slowly reaching out for the cuff. She grabbed the key first, and slipped it into the hole of the cuff, testing out the fit. Her fingers slipped around it, testing and probing it for some kind of homing device, or a poison, or something devious.

"Simple. You don't know how to work it. It would benefit you in no way without proper instruction, and even after rigorous training with the band it would become a training wheel. It's not meant as a permanent fix." Slade allowed his hands to fold behind his back. "It's merely…incentive." Raven arched her eyebrow at the interesting choice of words. "Admit it Raven. You'd love to be able to control your powers easily. Meditating only gets you so far."

"I can't betray this entire city." Raven tried to ignore the annoyingly surreal offer. Her head dropped to stare at the wooden dock, she tried to shut him away, shut this absurdity away.

"It's not betrayal. It's temporary. And I happen to know you are having a falling out with your friends. So I have another proposition for you." Slade exerted a small breath that Raven could only comprehend as a sigh, before continuing his side. "Spar me. If you know instantly that you are uninterested, you may leave. From there if you decide to say yes, we will engage in a 3 day long boot camp session. That would put us at Thursday. Thursday afternoon you return back to the Titans. Saturday you give me the final verdict."

"First of all, my falling out is only with Robin. And, why would you be so willing to give up your hideout to someone like me? Someone who could easily turn the tables on you with a simple phone call?" Raven crossed her arms. "This isn't making any sense. There's no logic, no deep thought to any of this. It's completely ridiculous."

"On the contrary, it was extremely thought out. I know a few things. I know that you don't have your communicator with you at the moment. I know that you left the tower unaware of where you would stay until you returned, _if _you were going to return. Also, if you believe I would take you to my lair, you're painfully mistaken. Our activities will take place in a warehouse not too far from here. I'm sure you'd find the accommodations…suiting." Slade turned his back to her, turning his head to the side so that he saw her out of the corner of his eye. "Warehouse 13. If you don't arrive within the hour I will assume the offer is void." And with that he walked away, turning the corner clean as he disappeared from her sight.

Raven scowled, glancing down at the band. She allowed an orb of black magic to sphere around the band, and closed her eyes. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos." She muttered, trying to figure out the manufacture and history of it. She could feel the story of the metal as she screened it, and after finding nothing particularly wrong with it, she sighed. If Slade _was_ true to his word, and the bracelet _was_ just a handy prop, then the next two months could help her grow more than ever. But if he was playing her, toying with her mind, dangerous and horrible things could happen.

"It's just a week." She whispered, beginning to walk. In horror she halted to a stop, realizing what she had just said. "A week with _Slade_." Her lips pursed together. Technically it was only three days. Curiosity getting the better of her, she slowly began to walk away from her spot, rounding the corner at the storage unit, glancing up at the large numbers above them. She shrugged when she saw that she was standing in front of Unit 25.

* * *

><p>Robin collapsed onto the couch, his chest heaving as he panted for air. Sweat dripped down his forehead, causing the edge of his mask to irritate him slightly. Fighting Overload had proved to be a little more difficult than usual. Normally Raven was able to activate the sprinklers with the flick of her wrist, but even if the sorceress had been there, that easy way out wouldn't be possible as it would ruin the thousands of dollars worth of equipment used to stock the Mega Arcade.<p>

Needless to say, despite their victory, all of the Titan's were stripped of energy. Except for Starfire of course, who was bouncing around the kitchen. Cyborg took a seat at the computer, having remembered the priorities that still lingered before they had been called out. Beast Boy on the other hand, seemed more than eager to join Robin on the couch. He rounded the sofa, ready to belly dive into the middle of the cushions. His foot stubbed on a piece of splintered wood from the wrecked coffee table that hadn't been taken care of.

"Du-ude!" He cried, lifting his foot into his hands, jumping around on one foot until he managed to collapse on the couch. "Why didn't anyone take care of that?" He whined, contorting his body around so he could see the damage done to his foot.

"You stubbed your foot. You'll be fine." Robin muttered, his eyes narrowing as the morning's events were brought back to his attention. He sighed, leaning back so his entire body was sprawled on the side of the couch opposite Beast Boy.

"It's alright Friend Beast Boy! May I have the look?" Starfire had drifted over to the couch and allowed herself to drop down in the middle of the changeling and the Boy Wonder, her legs crossed. She turned her body to face Beast Boy, an optimistic smile adorning her face.

"Starfire, he's _fine_." Robin urged, feeling his face flush up slightly at the attention Starfire was giving Beast Boy. He didn't particularly like it when Beast Boy and Starfire talked as they did in situations like the current one. Both tended to be a little _too _friendly in the conversations, giving him a bit of unease.

"But Robin, what if Friend Beast Boy has developed the fungus of toes or some sort of illness pertaining to his foot?" Starfire's head turned to face Robin with wide eyes before she turned back to tend to Beast Boy. Robin fumed at the goofy grin Beast Boy was giving Starfire, and resorted to turning away from both of them.

"I don't see how you'd be able to tell seeing as he's already _green_." He muttered, getting up and walking over to Cyborg. He could see the robot man was trying to hack a database of some sort.

"You gotta cool off man." Cyborg muttered in a soft tone to Robin. "Or you'll lose both of them." Robin turned away, his face flushing. It wasn't difficult to know what Cyborg was talking about, and it made him a little upset to even think about losing Starfire. "Are we going to look for her?" Cyborg asked, setting aside the keyboard and mouse to swivel his chair around to meet Robin.

Robin glanced back at Cyborg. He shook his head. "We'll wait and see if she returns tomorrow. If she isn't back by tomorrow night, then we'll look for her." He raised a hand to scratch the nape of his neck. "I don't know where she could go."

"I dunno. Back to…wherever she came from?" Cyborg shrugged as well, raising a hand to rub below his nose. "I don't think you're taking this as seriously as you could be." This comment initially bothered Robin, but he decided that losing one Titan was enough for the day, and let it pass, instead using the emotions to reflect upon the situation.

Robin took a deep breath, trying to analyze the situation a bit more. It was easy to see where Cyborg was coming from, Cyborg and Raven seemed to have a close Brother-Sister bond. She had been the only one to step up and help him repair his car when it had been obliterated; something about it having to do with the fact that she understood what it was like to put her into something.

"I'm just worried that we might have driven her away from her home." Cyborg sighed, raising his hand to scratch his real ear. "She doesn't show it, but she's really delicate and the smallest of off-sets could throw her completely over the edge." Robin's first instinct at Cyborg's was the assumption that "over the edge" was somehow related to a life of villainy.

" 'We'? No. It was because of me that she left. And I know she's delicate Cyborg. Everyone is delicate. That doesn't mean you walk around them like they're glass." Robin didn't even notice that his conversation with Cyborg had attracted the attention of Starfire and Beastboy.

"What I think that Friend Cyborg means is that while your argument with Friend Raven may have caused her to leave, not any one of us did the 'stepping up' to try and prevent her from leaving." Starfire stepped towards the boys, her hands folding neatly in each other.

"Starfire…" Robin said gently, taking a breath to keep his tone calm and collected. "Please…stay out of this." He spoke almost in a pleading tone. He really did not want to get more people involved in this. He could understand Cyborg putting in a suggestion or two to set him in the right direction, but when it extended further than that, things tended to get complicated.

"I will stay right inside of this!" Starfire showed a persistence that took Robin aback. "Friend Raven is out on the streets doing the 'god knows what' eating the cuisine of 'who knows' without us, her friends to show her the 'loving' and the 'support'. I will stay _right inside_ of this." Her eyes narrowed slightly as her lips turned into a pout, her hands unclasping from each other as she crossed her arms.

"Starfire." Beast Boy set a hand on Starfire's shoulder, causing Robin to clench his fists. "We've all just had a long day. Take it easy on him; he's got a lot on his back right now. Fighting won't get any of us anywhere. I dunno about you but I'm going to take an early night. If you want we could take this off your mind and go…shopping tomorrow?"

Starfire's eyes lit up in delight at the word 'shopping', and her hands clasped again as both her legs popped up, a wide smile stretching across her face. "Oh friend! That would be most delightful! I can show you the store of hair ornaments, the store of socks, and I can even show you the man who uses the mustard on the dog of corn!" She giggled a little.

"Great." Robin muttered to himself, turning back to Cyborg. "Did you find anything?" He tried to hold in his irritation, picking up a pencil and gripping it as he heard Beast Boy and Starfire depart the room.

He didn't realize what it was that made him so touchy about Starfire. After Tokyo they had tried to be more than friends, but a long trip to Tamaran left Starfire breaking off their short-lived relationship for the safety of their friendship. When she returned they had tried to resume things as they were before her departure, but somehow it was different. Showing public displays of affection around friends or even strangers seemed to leave Starfire in such a state of embarrassment that she couldn't even hold Robin's hand. At one point she had even admitted that she could now understand why he believed that a super hero life left complications when it came to relationships. The whole situation was touchy to Robin, but he wouldn't let Cyborg notice that it bothered him enough to bring the problem up to him.

* * *

><p>Raven stepped into Unit 13, looking around. A rumbling from the concrete beneath her caused her to give a small shriek, and when the doors to the storage unit closed automatically, her eyes began to glow white as a defense mechanism.<p>

"Sweet Raven, don't be afraid." Slade's suave voice echoed throughout the unit. Raven could feel the concrete beneath her lowering, and soon she could see a small slit of light appear from below. "This isn't a trap I can assure you." Slade's voice consoled. Raven lifted an arm to shield her eyes from the blinding fluorescent light that began to fill her vision, though after a few blinks she was able to lower her arm and see comfortably. The sight that she was presented with shocked her. The cement base of the storage unit had lowered into a large, bright room. It was clean and the walls and floor were all concrete with some sort of lighting fixture installed into the ceiling to illuminate the room.

Raven could see three doors on one wall, on the wall next to there was a long row of weaponry, the wall next to that was just a bunch of training equipment, and the wall next to that was a large, floor length, room length mirror, with a punching back hanging off center to the right. In the center of the floor were assortments of black training mats.

"What is this?" Raven found herself asking, glancing around to pinpoint where Slade was. She could tell he was behind one of the doors. But which one?

"You've asked enough questions for the moment sweet Raven. I would appreciate it if you could set that cuff to full and slip it on for me. You can put the key wherever you like, it is of no use to me. Then we can proceed with the sparring session that I brought you here for."

Raven glanced around, almost unsure of what she was going to do. Reluctantly she allowed the key to unlock the cuff, slipping it around her wrist and clasping it shut. She grunted as she felt it move to fit her wrist easier, and switched the dial to 'full'. She felt no difference and initially believed that he was lying to her. She held the key in her palm and stared at it. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos…" Nothing. Not even the smallest spark of dark magic. Raven, wide-eyed, slipped the key back into the hole of the cuff and felt a rush of relief when it willingly snapped off. She was glad to know it hadn't attatched to her skin, or something preposterous of the sort.

"Was I bluffing? Stop fooling around you insolent child." Slade's voice snapped her out of her actions and she quickly clipped the cuff back on. She pulled the two plastic cards from her leggings and set it down in a corner with the key on top. As she turned around she was shocked to find Slade standing directly behind her. Her surprise only heightened as he grasped her legs and chest and hoisted him up above his head.

A large scream escaped her lips as she felt the ground move from under her, a discomfort bubbling in her chest as he tossed her over onto the mat. She landed with a thud, her hand rushing to cradle the back of her head as she glowered up at him. "What the hell was that for?"

"Rule one: always be aware of your surroundings. I really did expect a little more of you Raven."


	4. Lessons

A/n: Some of you have hinted at Slaven and BB/Star, and I'm pretty sure there will be some BB/Star. Slaven though, is _really_ tough. I'm not opposed to it, but the only way I would do it is if I was able to do it without bringing either of them too far out of character. I'm struggling with Slade already as it is.

Also! I will be out of town from **July 3-July 9** with little to no internet access. I MIGHT get up a chapter or two in between then, but don't expect anything fancy.

As a reference for you all: the Batman I will be using will be **Nolan-verse.** For those of you who don't know, that means I will be portraying him, all of the Gotham villains I choose to feature, Commissioner Gordan, Alfred, as if they were from Christopher Nolan's version of Batman (Batman Begins/The Dark Knight). There might be some references to characters featured only in those movies, if that's so, then I will forewarn you in this long lengthy thing explaining their character and purpose.

_I don't own anything_

* * *

><p>"Rule one: always be aware of your surroundings. I really did expect a little more of you Raven." Slade approached Raven on the mat. "Now come at me with everything you have."<p>

Raven glowered up at him for a moment longer before pulling herself up from the mat, dusting off her sweater. She cringed at the inappropriate choice in outfit, but it was too late for a change of wardrobe. She lunged at Slade, throwing her right fist towards his mask. Her eyes widened as he nudged her hand aside with his. She could feel his right leg curve around her right leg, and before she knew it she was back on the mat.

"Rule two: ground game is crucial. Either get up quickly or know exactly what do to. They will kick you or they will mount you and throw punches at you. Now get up and do it again. Try and throw me to the ground." Slade took a step away from her to allow her to get back up and throw her next attack.

Raven rose to her feet, her cheeks flushed slightly. She felt humiliated, never before had she done so badly. She rushed at him, throwing punches. Her right leg hooked around his, but instead of it working to her benefit she felt him twist away from her legs, gently tapping the back of her knee with his foot. She felt the joint give way and with a small shove from him, she was back on the floor.

"Rule three: know how to get out of a leg lock or how to use it to your advantage." Slade twisted his neck, allowing it to crack. He also cracked his hands, allowing them wiggle freely. Raven looked back up at them, awaiting some sort of command or suggestion to advance. "I don't recall saying we were done." Slade spoke, a sliver of sarcastic confusion entwined in his voice.

"What are you talking about?" Raven rose to her feet, brushing herself off. She pushed up her sleeves, setting herself into a stance.

"You just stopped." Slade pointed out bluntly. Raven felt slightly irritated by this comment and rushed forward, throwing a series of punches at Slade's mask. She felt her fist connect on only one of the attempts, almost as if he had lowered his head to her fist. Before she knew what was coming, she was back on the floor again. "Rule four: take a hit to give a greater hit."

"You didn't hit me." Raven bore through her teeth, leaping back up. This time she worked in some of her leg-work, throwing kicks his way. She only landed a few before he managed to close most of the space between them, sweeping her feet from under her, allowing her to crash back down to the mat. "This is useless!" Raven growled, sitting up. "You're clearly better at martial arts than me."

Slade gave a slight chuckle before turning his back to her. He took a few steps before turning back to face her, his hands linked behind his back. "Me not hitting you was a personal choice. If I landed a hit you would be knocked out, it's a miracle that boy you have running your team isn't when I land hits on him. And sweet Raven, I didn't expect you to land any hits. I didn't expect you to win. Your effort was all I expected, all I needed to evaluate your skill. Granted, it would probably be a little better if you had access to your flight, but in the long run it will help you more if you aren't dependant on things like "powers". Sometimes they only get in the way."

Raven rose to her feet. "Hit me."

"I'm not so much a masochist that I would gain pleasure out of hitting a _female_. So no thanks. Be careful with your words though. I just might take you up on it one day." Slade kinked his neck slightly. "That's enough for today. You did better than I expected. That room on the far right is yours to do with what you wish. The center is the bathroom, you'll find it stocked to your needs and if you don't see something that you absolutely can not live without, then feel free to dip into the money stash I have provided you with in one of the drawers."

Raven arched her eyebrow. "You are giving me money? Why? For all I know it could be counterfeited or stolen." She still felt very weary accepting things or ideals or even a job from Slade. But she needed a place to stay, and training wouldn't hurt. It would alleviate her from the drama of returning to the tower the next day, postponing it a few days.

"But it's not. I have a little more dignity than that. Besides, the bank uses some marked bills now. I wouldn't be so stupid as to let you be caught with it. And if you are to stay, I don't need you pestering me about things like money. It's easier to assume you will need it and provide you with it now." Slade turned and entered the door situated on the far left. Raven stared at the empty room for a while, contemplating what it was that she had just done, before gathering her things in the corner and moving over towards the room he had introduced as hers.

* * *

><p>"Bruce? Come in…Bruce?" Robin hissed into the static-y end of a telephone. He sat in his room, using an old cord phone. He needed to get to the bottom of these things, and quickly. The easiest way? Calling up his old friend and mentor. Unfortunately for him, that wasn't who answered the personal line.<p>

"I'm sorry. Master Wayne isn't here right now, Alfred the butler speaking. May I ask who is calling and how may I assist you?" Robin felt a sense of nostalgia rush through him at the gentle British accent of the butler. Memories rushed through his mind, reminding him of that horrible fight he had left Gotham City on. Bits and pieces of the Batman snapping at him with a gruff tone floated through his mind. His uncovered eyes closed tight before he continued to speak.

"Alfred it's me."

"Me? Me who? That's quite a name, I must say. Is that Filipino? Or perhaps Vietnamese?" The old butler spoke with a hint of playfulness. Robin smirked on his end of the phone, waiting for the butler to acknowledge his presence. "It's nice to hear from you Mister Grayson. May I ask what you are calling for?"

Robin felt a knot twist itself in his stomach. He knew it would be uncomfortable switching so quickly back into business mode, deep inside him he wished to explain that despite the horrible departure from Gotham, things with him had turned out okay. But the quick transition was necessary; he and Alfred could continue talking of more frivolous affairs on another account. "Someone was hacking into the Teen Titans database from Wayne Enterprises this morning. I wanted to see if…_he_... knew anything about it."

"Oh…I see." The butler sounded a little strained on the other end. "Well Mister Grayson…I'd love to answer your question but the Master has gone out. He's doing what he does best of course." There was a moment of silence as Robin glanced over to the wall. "I will give him the message though, and I will personally see to it that he touches bases with you to discuss the matter."

From there Robin allowed another long pause to ensue. All he wanted at that current moment in time was to break the formalities with the butler, asking how he had been, telling him how he was faring. But he knew how bad of an idea that was. The truth is that Robin hadn't been faced with anything pertaining to Gotham since he had left Gotham. He didn't try to forget about that part of his life, as he knew what a strenuous and laboring process on his mind that would be. Instead, he locked it away. He chose to distract himself with his work, and while it made his friends conclude that he was an excessive workaholic, the constant loads of stress from finding Slade or fighting off some villain took his mind away from Gotham.

"Very well Alfred. That is…all." Robin swallowed the lump that was growing in his throat, his elbow slamming onto his desk as his palm found his forehead. His fingers laced into his hair, gripping the spiked black locks at the root. The pain that ensued from the straining of his hair caused him to focus on that, rather than the emotions he refused to deal with.

"Ah…well, it was very nice to hear from you. Call again soon." He could hear the butler masking some sort of disappointment with his usual optimism. Robin couldn't help the ignored emotions that began to water up in his eyes. Before the line went dead, he could swear he heard Alfred mutter 'Richard'. That caused him to go over the edge.

Robin dropped the phone, burying his face in his hands, his elbows propped up on the table. Silently he let the tears stream down his face, he let four years of emotions release, he allowed his body to shake and shiver. He loved his current life, but he couldn't bear knowing how badly he had left his past. His focus was on making sure that he was silent, he couldn't let any of the other Titans hear him.

A knock sounded on his door, but he didn't hear it. In fact, he didn't seem to notice any of the knocking until a soft "Robin" was heard, though slightly muffled, from the other side.

Robin sat up, wiping his eyes from the tears. "What is it?" He forced a stressed tone, trying to make it appear as if he was stressed. He pulled his gloves back on and placed his mask over his eyes. As he approached the door, it slid open, revealing a timid Starfire.

"Um…Friend Robin, I was just wondering if something was wrong," Starfire began, her eyes on the floor. "You seemed very unhappy today and-" She stopped mid sentence as she rose her head to meet Robin's eyes. "You are….doing the crying?" She asked slowly.

"No Star, I wasn't crying." Robin lied, raising his arm to scratch the nape of his neck. He felt slightly embarrassed that it had been obvious enough for her to make a comment about it.

"Yes you were." Starfire was persistent. "Your cheeks are blotchy." She placed the back of her hand on his cheeks. "And they are hot!" She recoiled back slightly. "What is the matter friend?"

Robin sighed. It was clear that the matter would not be dropped until he satisfied her curiosity. He averted his eyes away from her, staring down the hall. "It's nothing Star. Just something I…remembered."

"Oh! Was it upsetting?" Starfire took a small step forward, her eyes growing wide with curiosity.

"I don't want to talk about it." Robin's nerves were dancing on end. He turned back to his door, walking through it as it slid open. "Go to sleep, Starfire."

* * *

><p>"Alright." Slade stood in front of Raven, his hands behind his back. Raven looked up at him, her face refreshed from the calming night's sleep she had received the night before. With the new day she was able to sift through her material possessions and put her leotard on, a better choice for the training sessions. "I am going to share with you my evaluation from yesterdays little warm up. Since you're standing before me I feel it's safe to assume you'll be staying at least until Thursday?"<p>

Raven nodded. After removing the cuff yesterday she had meditated for a half hour before a slight curiosity rose in the middle of her chest, prompting her to delve into the mirror that was her mind, in order to collect the opinion of the emotions and components that made her up.

_"Yeah! It seems like an amazing opportunity!" Brave, green Raven had exclaimed, grinning widely._

_ "W-well I mean if you really think you could benefit from this. I dunno…" Grey, timid Raven muttered, sheepishly staring at the ground._

_ "You don't need control!" Red, angry Raven growled. Raven took no heed to the opinion of Angry Raven, as she knew more control of her powers would only weaken this side of her._

_ "Sure! Maybe this will help patch things up with your friends if you have a break." Friendly, purple Raven smiled, before skipping off._

_ "I dunno…I think you should fix things with Robin. What if he gets angry?" Brown, sad Raven rationed._

_ "You should definitely do it! It'll just add to the butt kicking abilities!" Happy, pink Raven cooed._

_ "Yeah! Do it. Teach that Robin a lesson! Asshole." Rude, orange Raven agreed, before burping and rubbing her stomach._

_ While Raven held all of their opinions dear, it was yellow, intelligent Raven's opinion that she valued the most. She knew that Yellow Raven would bring many valid points to the table, points that would help her determine whether she would spend the night or not._

_ "Well many things could happen. With this you could become stronger and harness your powers with greater ease, which is something we've all wanted for a while. But if something goes wrong, it could be the end of being a Teen Titan." Yellow Raven began to speak, her thoughts trailing out for all to hear._

_ "I don't know if I want that. To risk not being a Teen Titan." Raven replied quietly, glancing away from her intelligent self._

_ "Robin would have to catch you for that to happen." Yellow Raven pointed out. "As long as you stay as Rachel Roth, he shouldn't be able to find you." _

_ "What if Slade is playing tricks with me?" Raven muttered. "Then what would happen?"_

_ "You only have to keep this up for two months. It looks like you're searching for reasons __**not**__ to do this." Yellow Raven set a hand on Raven's shoulder. "Robin and Terra were both Slade's apprentices and look. Now it's as if neither event had happened."_

_ "That's different." Raven insisted. "Robin did it to protect us and Terra's just an idiot." _

_ "Maybe being on the bad side could get them to realize what an asset you are?" Yellow Raven was visibly beginning to get impatient with all of Raven's counter-attacks to all of the logic. "You aren't going to get any logic out of this situation because there is none. In the end this training could help you become stronger, and you're just afraid of that, or the consequences. You're forgetting that there are consequences for both sides. This morning your lack of control caused you to break two things and for you to leave the tower. Robin won't be understanding of this at all, so it's useless trying to get us to convince you otherwise."_

_ Raven stared at Yellow Raven. She was right. Slade's offer was all too tempting, all too appealing to her ears. She did need control, and she needed to see what it was he had to offer. He had even said she was free to leave within the first month. Her mind spun as she worried about what Robin might say or do if he did ever find out. But she was intent on keeping this a secret._

"Alright." Slade's voice snapped Raven out of her day dream. "You are usually a very agile person due to your flight. So without that, you need to work on agility, you need to be constantly moving. I would suggest only using leg-work when it comes to a novice fighter, or when you know for a fact you are going to land the hit." Slade noticed the glimmer of confusion in Raven's eyes, and decided to further elaborate. "Kicking requires a certain amount of distance. For example: Robin. Robin enjoys kicking a lot. That's his downfall though. He either has to flip backwards to put distance, or he risks me taking out one or the other leg. You are dependent on the stationary leg. Try and throw a series of kicks at me." Slade challenged, motioning Raven to fight.

Raven nodded, putting herself in a stance. She stepped forward, putting her leg out to kick. Slade grabbed her leg almost instantly, gripping it with great force.

"Right now I could do one of few things. I could land a hit with my free hand, I could break your leg, which would determine the end of the fight, or I could sweep your dependent leg from under you." He released her leg. "Again."

Raven tried a roundhouse kick this time. She found herself on the mat quicker than she ever had before.

"Roundhouse kicks are even worse. They require prepping and their almost fatal in the sense that in the time it takes for you to lift and twist your leg around, I could already throw you to the mat." Slade stepped back. "Again."

Raven leapt up, throwing straight kicks at him, as to not give away the kicks with her hips. She held her arms up in a boxer's stance, preparing to block from him. She attempted a side kick, but felt Slade block and push her leg back with his hand. The fact that he didn't throw her to the mat showed Raven that he wasn't done teaching the current lesson. She continued to kick, but found it increasingly more difficult as he narrowed in on her. She realized that she had begun to back up in order to get enough space to even land a kick. She grew uneasy as she felt her bare feet leave the mat, the cold cement shocking her feet. A small gasp escaped her lips as she felt the wall hit her back.

"Like I said, kicks require distance. Close in the distance and you have eliminated the option that is kicking." Slade backed away from her. "Now I am going to kick towards you. Compile all that I have taught you in order to block and evade my kicks." He stepped onto the mat, facing her. "Come on." He gestured for her to come forward.

Raven made her way back to the mat. "And how should I block a kick?" She asked, curiosity bubbling in her slightly.

"You either block it with your powers or you step back from the range of the kick. You aren't physically strong enough to block a kick from me; you need to have a stronger force than that of the kick. Have you even been trained in martial arts?" Slade shook his head at her, falling back into a fighting stance. "We'll try once without powers, the second with."

"No." Raven muttered, falling back into a stance as well. She braced herself for Slade as he came at her, throwing kicks. She backed up each time he sent a kick her way. He was quick with his leg work, causing Raven's eyes to dart back and forth in minor confusion. She finally saw him lift his leg for a roundhouse, and she dove towards his leg, shoving it from under him. Satisfaction and pride swelled up in her as she watched him fall to the mat.

"Good. Turn the cuff on 'zero'." Slade instructed, leaping up. Raven glanced down at the bracelet, turning the dial all the way to zero. "Now it will be as if you aren't wearing the bracelet at all, so be careful for your powers." Slade warned, before coming at her. "Block the kicks."

Raven had a moment to think before she engaged in the battle as well. As his kicks flew up towards her, she shoved them down or blocked them with her energy fields. She started to move in on his space too, smirking as it seemed more difficult for him to raise his leg. Her eye widened as she saw his knee lifted up, momentarily at unease from seeing new material. She blocked it with her field and wrapped her right leg behind his right leg, sending a field at his chest to send him down. She would've expected him to leap up immediately, throwing a fury of fists at her, but he didn't. He just laid there. She thought she heard a faint chuckle.

"Good job." He stood up, brushing his shoulder off and cracking his neck. "That's enough for today.

* * *

><p>Raven was off exploring Jump City. It was her 2nd day of training with Slade. He had enforced how crucial it was to keep moving in a battle, and showed her how to block punches. The training sessions with him lasted no longer than a few hours, but by the end of it they were both sweating. The day before he had given her a pizza to pick at throughout the day, and Raven had assumed that was how it would be. She was slightly surprised when he had shoved a few twenties in her hand and told her to "get lost" for the remainder of the day.<p>

She found herself at the pizzeria, ordering a 'meat-lovers' off of the menu. As she sat at the table on the rooftop, the brisk autumn breeze nipping at her nose, she began to review the knowledge she had already acquired in the past few days. He hadn't begun to teach her about how she could better manage her powers, but she didn't expect him to. That would put her at far too big an advantage if she decided to remain with the Titans.

Instead of her leotard, which she insisted on sporting in the underground makeshift lair, she had been surprised to find a small wardrobe of clothes. When she inquired to Slade about it, he had muttered something about his butler having stocked the drawer so that she may roam around the city, before telling her to get out of his office, threatening to add a vigorous exercise in which he taught nothing, but just bombarded her with attacks, if she ever entered again.

She sat in a pair of leggings and a long, oversized shirt. She sported the boots she had acquired in the gas station bathroom upon taking on the alias of Rachel. Thinking back on it, she was amazed at how long ago it had seemed. She had been training so much she hardly had time to reminisce about the Tower, and could hardly believe she would return in just a day and a half.

"Uh…hi!" A perky, all too familiar voice snapped Raven out of her thoughts. Her breath hitched in her throat, her eyes widening slightly as she feared for the worst. She could only feel irritation muster up inside of her when the figure stepped from behind her, around the table so that she was in full view of him. "There's uh …no more tables. So…could I sit here?" He gave her a toothy grin, and she contemplated for a moment. She could either deal with the situation well, or she could snap at him. Of course snapping at him would probably only reveal herself.

"Sure!" She forced a smile, kinking her head slightly. "Just you?" She asked, hoping and praying that the answer was yes. She hated the way her voice sounded when she was 'happy'. It sounded so wrong to her.

"Yeah, hehe." He chuckled a little, raising an arm to scratch the nape of his neck. "I'm uh…Beast Boy." The green changeling smiled awkwardly, throwing a hand out at her. "And you are?"

"Ra-chel." Raven's eyes widened slightly. She had almost said 'Raven' out of instinct. She hadn't used the name Rachel at all when it came to introducing herself. "My name is Rachel." She took his hand and gave it a small shake. "You're uh…green." With the hand she had used to shake his hand, she used to point at him.

"Oh. Yeah, I sorta am." Beast Boy grinned. "It usually helps with the ladies." He waggled his eyebrows up and down. "Are you here alone?" He asked curiously, taking a seat across from her.

"Ye-eah." Raven answered slowly, almost wishing she had answered otherwise. Maybe he would've left her alone if that was the case. She had to play dumb now, act like she didn't know why he was green, or in a ridiculous looking black and purple jumpsuit. "So…why are you green?"

"Oh…it was a childhood accident." Beast Boy muttered, his smile disappearing for a moment. "But never mind that, I've never seen you around _Rachel_." His grin returned as he leaned across the table slightly. "And I am pretty familiar with the female community around here." Raven almost scoffed at that, knowing otherwise.

"You sound like quite the ladies man." Raven shot another smile his way. She looked up as the waiter set down her personal pizza in front of her. She smirked a little at the look on Beast Boy's face when he noted that it was meat-lovers. "I just _love_ meat." She explained, picking the piece of pizza up, waving it under her nose. "It's just so juicy and flavorful." She could see Beast Boy swallow uncomfortably as she took a delicate bite of the pizza, chewing and swallowing with a grateful look on her face. "Want some?" She asked, her eyes widening as she shoved it his way.

"Ah! No." Beast Boy recoiled slightly. "I'm a uh-vegetarian." He gulped a little as his vegetarian pizza arrived. "So! What do you…do?" He asked curiously. Raven tried not to roll her eyes. She knew where this one was headed.

"I'm a student. I work part time at a…" She paused as she tried to find a place un-Raven that 'Rachel' could intern at. "Flower shop." She stuffed her mouth with another bite of pizza. She mulled over the idea for a moment and decided that she hadn't even been to a flower shop, and that she couldn't hate a place she had never been to.

"Oh that's cool! I'm a….Teen Titan." He turned to the side, giving her a wink. "I fight crime whenever someone needs my help." He looked forward, brushing his fingertips against his chest nonchalantly.

Raven rolled her eyes. She had never seriously been on the receiving end of one of Beast Boy's pick ups, and now that she had she felt extreme pity for the other girls who had experienced it as well.

"What's a Teen Titan?" Raven asked, watching the look of shock cross Beast Boy's face. She slipped the crust into her mouth as she reached for a second piece of the pizza.

"Well most people know what the Teen Titans are. We're a group of teenagers who fight evil and crime. It's really cool." Beast Boy smiled a little, looking at her. All of the sudden his smile vanished, a serious look plaguing his face. "I'm a little surprised though; I thought you of all people would know that since you are one, _Raven_."

* * *

><p>An: Yes! Beast Boy has somehow figured out that Rachel is Raven, and you will find out how in the next chapter (: I hope you guys liked this. Reviews are appreciated (:


	5. Semi Exam

A/n: I am **so** sorry it's taken so long for me to release this chapter, the beginning portion is devoted as sort of filler, and I hit sort of a block, not to mention the fact that I had **no** time working on it while I was gone last week.

Hints of close BB/Rae friendship / BB/Rae in the beginning of this chapter.

I don't own anything

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><p>"I'm a little surprised though; I thought you of all people would know that since you are one, <em>Raven<em>." Beast Boy drummed his fingers on the table, almost as if he were expecting a reply of some sort.

Raven almost choked on the piece of crust she was in the middle of swallowing, coughing slightly to force it down. "I don't know what you're talking about." She stated coolly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "I don't even know _who_ you are talking about."

Beast Boy was just not having it though, as he slammed his fist on the table. "Cut the bullshit Raven." He hissed under his voice. "Your appearance and your attitude may be different, but you completely _reek_ of Raven." Raven felt her jaw drop, and was reasonably annoyed when Beast Boy reacted to her. "Yeah, that's right. I can smell you. I know your scent."

Raven slipped her hand beneath the table, her fingers searching to find the dial on the cuff. She felt it and switched it over to zero, feeling her powers flush through her body. The surge was strong enough for her to tell that she would not need to chant her mantra, so instead she threw her arms towards Beast Boy covering them both with the shadow raven. The shadow flickered for a second, and then was gone, the seats the two Titans had been occupying left empty.

* * *

><p>"So what happened Raven? Enlighten me, because I would really <em>love<em> to know what it is that caused you to alter your appearance and just continue walking the streets of Jump City, as if you were hoping just to blend in with a civilian." Beast Boy raged, glaring at her. Raven sat on a bench in a secluded part of a park. She hated being yelled at, and certainly hadn't expected it to be from Beast Boy, though she couldn't say anything in return as all of his points were valid.

"I just need time alone to myself to think about things." She muttered, switching her cuff to full as she raised her head to look at him. "It's really difficult to be around Robin when he's like that. It's so…annoying to see him be so narrow minded." She slipped her sleeve over the cuff, concealing it from his sight.

"Yeah Raven, I'm aware." Beast Boy threw a punch at a nearby tree, sending a few birds flying off into the air from the sudden movement. "Robin hasn't left his room at all since the night this all happened. He's just locked himself up, refusing to talk to anyone. I don't even know if it had anything to do about you, but he's been going off on anyone who tries to bother him. Even Starfi-"

"Oh, Starfire!" Raven felt rage overcome her as she rose to her feet. Something clicked in her head. Slade's cuff completely cut off all of her magical energy, which meant she didn't need to worry about accidentally releasing it…which meant. "So this is about Starfire." Her voice raised slightly, her eyes widening. She didn't need to scream at him for him to understand the amount of rage that was going through her, the amount of rage she was conveying through harsh tones and body language. "Well let me tell you this Beast Boy. It has become very stale to me, listening to you and Robin worrying about 'Starfire this' and 'Starfire that'. There are five members on this team, and the majority of them worry about _her_."

Beast Boy did not allow Raven to have the last word, as he crossed his arms and shot a retort back at her. "You're just jealous of Starfire because she's nice to people, and they like her because of it." Beast Boy glowered over at her.

"I have a question for _you_ Beast Boy. You only know my scent when you're in the form of a tracking animal. Why were you looking for me." Raven rose to her feet, her arms crossed as well. She knew it would have taken a good, conscious effort for him to search her. She was very curious as to the motivation he had while doing so.

Beast Boy took a deep breath, running a gloved hand through his hair. "Starfire is worried sick about you. She's off combing through the city for you. She still thinks you're…you. I can't take seeing her so upset anymore, and knowing you, I didn't want to take a chance." He pulled out his communicator, holding it in front of him. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't contact Robin or Starfire right now."

"I'll give you a few good reasons Beast Boy." Raven flipped her hair over her shoulder. "Before that, I should warn you, don't threaten me. But anyways, trust. Trust and respect. I left because of the argument, but I stayed for my own reasons. I'll be back in the Tower the day after tomorrow. Depending on how things go, I'll either stay, or I'll take a few months leave."

"Months?" The word seemed to shatter the attitude Beast Boy had been giving Raven, a form of pain slivering through his glassy eyes as he stared at her. "Months?" His voice had gone from sarcastic demands to that of a kicked puppy. "Why months Raven? We're your friends. Why would you want to be away from us for months?" He took a step closer to her, but she responded by retreating the same amount. "And you replying with your own 'threat' only makes you hypocritical."

"Beast Boy I don't think you understand that I trust you with this information right now. I trust you not to go and tell Robin because it's not any of his business. You all let Robin leave when he felt he had to train with the True Master." Raven brought two hands to the bridge of her nose, pinching it. "Also, your little schpeel about telling Robin or Starfire was a threat. Threat's are often empty, they often don't happen. They're used in a way of scaring someone into negotiation and compromise. There is no compromise with my words. Me giving you a warning is giving you a reason to not tell Robin or Starfire, with a promise that I will follow up and make you regret it if you should ever do so."

Beast Boy's eyes bore into Raven's brown ones. They quivered slightly, and Raven had never seen such a serious emotion behind them since he had grown an attitude from the fight with Adonis. "Do you even care about us?" He asked her in a moment of silence. "Do you realize how it could affect the team if you were gone for two months?"

Raven turned her head away from Beast Boy, trying to avoid the emotions that radiated from him. Her empathy obviously didn't fall under the list of abilities blocked by the cuff. "Of course I care about you guys." She spoke softly. "Please Beast Boy. Can you just give me the benefit of the doubt. This is really important to me."

Beast Boy stared at her, his eyes narrowing as a silent eternity seemed to pass. Raven couldn't feel if Beast Boy was going to sway either way and this slightly worried her. Her entire act could be up before it even began, if she chose to let it begin. Finally, Beast Boy's shoulders relaxed and his eyes softened as he huffed a reluctant breath. "_Fine_." He muttered, his eyes dropping to the ground. "Don't give me a reason to not trust you though."

"I know." Raven nodded, allowing her body to relax. She ran a hand through her hair, scrunching at it slightly to let out the pent up stress that had accumulated from Beast Boy's visit alone. At that very moment she heard the sound of his communicator going off, she stared at him as he answered the call, and watched him closely.

"Beast Boy." Beast Boy muttered as he snapped open the lid to the communicator.

"_Robin to Beast Boy. Where the hell are you?"_ Robin's voice was faintly heard over the minor static. He definitely did not appear to be in a good mood.

"I'm in a secluded part of Central Park." Beast Boy glanced around, as if to take note of his surroundings. His eyes landed on Raven and they rolled, as if to tell her that he was irritated by Robin's harsh tones.

"_Okay well Mumbo's over at the bank, sucking the vault dry. Get over there! We'll meet you there."_ And before Beast Boy had a chance to even nod his head, the static got cut off. Raven stared over at Beast Boy, who was staring directly at her as he put his communicator away. The silence lingered for a moment, neither party speaking, before Beast Boy finally broke it.

"I'd better get going." He started to back away, his eyes not leaving Ravens. "If you're not back the day after tomorrow…" His voice trailed off, as if to imply that there would be a problem. Raven nodded her head, understanding of his words and the place she had put him in. It was a lot to ask him to keep information he hardly knew about from his friends.

"I will. Don't worry about it." She stated, almost as a promise. "I'll be there." She crossed her arms as Beast Boy nodded. With that, he leapt up into the air taking the form of a falcon, flapping out of sight.

* * *

><p>Raven entered the dark chamber Slade had chosen to seclude her in. Having been nightfall, Raven decided it would be safe to return, she hadn't wanted to risk Slade getting enraged at an early return, and due to his vague request of 'getting lost for the rest of the day' she assumed 'the rest of the day' only extended until nightfall.<p>

"Hello Raven." She felt her heart skyrocket at the sound of his voice, not due to some odd infatuation, like she often felt Starfire react to Robin, but rather the amount of sheer surprise and shock, having not known that he was around. She often felt Beast Boy react this way when she caught him red-handed snooping in somewhere that did not concern him.

"Slade." She returned the greeting, her hand reaching to the wall to flick the light on, as the entire room had been flooded with shadows upon her arrival. The first thing she saw was him standing at the doorway of the room he had told her not to enter. Once she saw him, it reoccurred to her that Beast Boy had figured out she was going around with an alias. "Oh, Slade…" She started, trying to figure out how to word how she would break what she believed to be rather irritating news.

"I know." He nodded slightly. "I'm working on it." His hands were behind his back, Raven couldn't tell if he was irritated by the situation, or he had even predicted it from afar. With Slade she never could tell, but it was only in this instance that she was relieved to be kept in the dark on his emotions. "Go to bed."

* * *

><p>Beast Boy lay on the U-shaped couch with the other three Titans. Cyborg and Starfire had successfully managed to keep Robin from returning to his room after fighting off Mumbo. It hadn't occurred to him until after the fact that fighting the magician seemed to be an oddly difficult task without the witty sorceress, but not impossible. Cyborg had somehow convinced Robin to partake in a video game, Starfire sipping a large gallon sized bottle of mustard through a straw. Beast Boy hadn't been interested in battling it out with the boys; he had found himself preoccupied with the thoughts from earlier in the day.<p>

His first concern was that he was betraying his friends. He felt skittish keeping the secret, but it was for Raven, and the fact that she had trusted him enough to reveal it to him did mean a great deal to him. For a while it had only been Robin that Raven seemed to confide in. Granted, she would occasionally submit to Starfire's constant pleas to go shopping, and on more than one occasion she was seen on almost sibling terms with Cyborg, and while he knew that she tended to confide far less with the two latter, it was still more than she usually ever chose to confide in him.

Beast Boy didn't understand this. He believed that he knew Raven considerably well. He was able to spot the difference when something was up with her, despite the fact that she was always in her room. There was always just an odd pit wrenching in his gut that he felt when something seemed to go wrong. That had been what provoked him to hide as a fly in her room when Malchior had bombarded his way into her life. That was when he had seen first hand that as cautious and emotionless as Raven was, she could love. That she _loved_ to love, and that when she did surrender her heart to someone, she did most everything in her power, or beyond, to please them.

He very rarely had a meaningful conversation of any sort with her. Despite the fact that he had outlined, prepared, and memorized speeches on more than one occasion so that he would not say anything wrong to her, it never seemed necessary once he was standing outside her door with her staring back at him. With them, words seemed irrelevant, as both knew the way into a person's soul was through their eyes.

That was why, when Raven showed emotions of anger and what he believed to be the closest form of desperation that Raven could muster, when he saw how her all too familiar eyes, only daunting a different shade, yet quivering with emotion, he had to give her what she desired.

* * *

><p>Raven awoke with a start. It was the day. The day she was meant to go home. She had spent her last full day just combining all of Slade's lessons into one. She rolled over to stare at the small watch Slade had provided her with, picking up the article and cupping it to attempt and read it. She shrugged at the time, realizing it was a reasonable time to wake, and grabbed her bath towel to shower.<p>

As she stood in the shower, warm water pounding on her, drizzling down her, she couldn't help but wonder what it was that Slade had claimed would prove to be a 'hard day'. He'd probably make her spar him, or teach her something else. Raven couldn't hide her dismay as she remembered Slade hadn't really taught her much of anything as to how to harness her emotions in a more efficient way.

She re-entered her room, discarding the towel as she reached for some more appropriate clothes to train in. She pulled on a sports bra and a pair of shorts, finding that her leotard was quick to overheat when she didn't have flight or her cape to air herself out.

As Raven exited her room, snapping on the cuff and turning it to zero, she nearly stubbed her table on a rolling cart that had been placed close to the door. She glanced at the scribbled note that lay atop a few garments, her eyes scanning it.

_Put these on. _

_ -S_

Raven rolled her eyes, crumpling it up and tossing it aside. She found an orange bandana, which she tied as a headband to keep her hair from her eyes. Next she found a mask identical to the one that Robin had sported as his time as Slade's apprentice. She stuck it on, amazed at how easy it was to see through the small yet abundantly poked holes through the white fabric that covered her eyes. Next were what seemed to be shin guards. She pulled off her shoes and slipped them on, strapping them on. Next were what seemed to be a sort of guard for her forearms, she strapped them on, looping her fingers through the opening, and slipping her thumb through the slot. Lastly were fingerless leather gloves. She took a second to admire the quality of the leather, instantly knowing its job was to protect her knuckles. These seemed to appeal to her the most, and she strapped them on eagerly.

Raven flexed her fingers in the gear, taking a step closer to the center of the mat. She couldn't help but see that it weighed her down, but only a little. Some padding and armor was always better than no armor.

"_Semi-Exam. No magic."_ She heard an automated female's voice from the ceiling, and her first assumption was that Slade would fight her for some sort of Semi-Exam. She whirled around instantly, only to be met with the fist of Kyd Wykkyd. She flew back from the fist to face impact, her back hitting the mat.

Her eyes widened in horror as Kyd Wykkyd seemed to mount her, her arms lifting and rotating in order to act as a shield. She was just beginning to realize that Slade hadn't taught her much about ground game. Her legs kicked from underneath her, but she found them useless. They didn't stretch enough to coil around Kyd Wykkyd and she tried to knee him in the back, but that didn't seem to have the desired effect. She could see a small smirk in the often emotionless teleportation master as he began to throw punches at her arms. She was suddenly very thankful for the arm armor, and tried to rake her mind of ways to impact him.

She hesitantly threw an arm out to try and punch Kyd Wykkyd, but found it ineffective as he grabbed her wrist, slamming her arm onto the ground. She felt his other fist connect with the unguarded lower portion of her face, and she gasped, her hand flying to cradle her cheek. She was fortunate enough that her jaw hadn't shattered or been dislocated, and wasn't going to let it happen again. All she had been left with was a cut lip, and that's all she intended to take. She decided she'd play it defensive.

Then it clicked. Defensive. She had been taking it in the wrong approach. She had been searching of ways to impact the male, cause him pain. A smirk stretched across her bloody lip as she began to buck her hips. If she managed to get him off of her, then she'd be able to regain control. She felt Kyd Wykkyd slip slightly, and she jerked her leg up, slipping it through the space between her hip and his crotch. Raven sucked in some breath, kicking her leg out to hit him in the collarbone, throwing him off of her. She watched him teleport as he tumbled off, and she leapt to her feet.

He could be anywhere. That was the problem with him. She pulled up her fists in a boxer's stance and whirled around as he popped in front of her. He threw a fist at her which she quickly deflected, moving in to land a punch on him. She felt her fist connect with his jaw, but he popped out of sight just as quickly as he had appeared. Her instinct was to do a roundhouse kick in the chance that he was behind her. As her leg swung around her, she felt his hand grab her ankle. Her eyes widened slightly, remembering that she had spent almost an entire session with Slade devoted to _not_ kicking things. She pushed off with her steady leg, raising it up to kick Kyd Wykkyd in the chest.

His hand released her leg and she felt herself flying across the room. Her back hit the wall of the mirror and she collapsed to the floor, pulling herself up instantly. His powers were seemingly unstoppable in a situation like so. That's when another light went off in her head. Immediately, her hand reached up to the key of the cuff, which hung on a small chain around her neck. She lifted her wrist to fit the key in the lock, twisting it into the keyhole as she snapped off her cuff. She yanked out the key and let it drop back with the slack of the chain, holding the cuff in her hand. Kyd Wykkyd was no where in sight.

Raven caught sight of a flash of darkness, as well as the connecting of a fist to her gut. She grunted, grabbing the wrist at its connection with her stomach, snapping the cuff around Kyd Wykkyd's wrist. The dial had been preset to "full" and she watched the look of disbelief run through his facial expressions as he found that he was unable to teleport. She felt what could've been a smile cross her face, but in such a moment, she didn't get to appreciate or give proper recognition to how genuine it was.

Raven knew better than to just sit idle-by. She had no idea if Kyd Wykkyd would be able to figure out how to manipulate the cuff, and she wasn't going to wait to find out. Her fist connected with the left side of his jaw and she smirked at the satisfyingly wonderful sound of his jaw cracking. His hands flew up to his jaw. Moving quick, her right leg hooked around the outer side of his right leg and she shoved him to the floor, mounting him like he had mounted her previously.

Her fists flew towards his face. She was quick with her fists, and out of all the insults and derogatory statements Slade had given her about her magic-less battle combat, she would in turn receive a few remarks about how her fist work was something to be treasured. Her fists connected with the sides of his face as his arms moved to shield his face. She watched Kyd Wykkyd's arm move from blocking his face to slamming his open palms on the mat, almost as if in defeat.

At the sound of the door behind her, Raven whirled around. She watched Slade emerge, his thick, gloved hands making slow contact in almost a sarcastic form of clapping. It was slow and perfectly incremented. It was at that moment that she knew the match was over, and that she could relax.

"Excellent." Slade remarked, his hands folding behind him. He stood before Raven now and she peered up at him. "Impressive show. Both of you. Now, remove the cuff from Kyd Wykkyd. His services are no longer needed." One of Slade's arms uncoiled from behind him in order to gesture from Raven to Kyd Wykkyd's wrist.

Raven gave a small nod, almost eager to get the control back. She lowered her head to Kyd Wykkyd's wrist, pulling out the chain in order to fit the key in the slot. She twisted the key and the cuff snapped off, Kyd Wykkyd disappearing instantly. The cuff dropped and she picked it up, snapping it around her wrist.

"So what was this? Just a form of entertainment?" Raven asked, rising to her feet. She brushed her shoulders off, crossing her arms to Slade. She had hoped he had at least some sort of good reason for making her endure such a surprise attack.

"Evaluation. I've seen what I needed to see. If I don't see you back here on Saturday by the end of the day, I'll assume we've parted ways." Slade answered curtly, giving her a small nod. He turned to go back to his room.

"Wait!" Raven called out, a hand reaching forward. There was a question that had been nagging in the back of her mind for the past day or so. "What about my powers?" She asked softly, submitting back into her usual mood. "You said you'd help me."

She was almost appalled when Slade's reaction to her question was a low chuckle. "Sweet Raven. Surely you didn't think I'd let you go with no incentive to come back?" And with that, he walked into the room, the door shutting behind him.

* * *

><p>Robin sat on a large rock, grasping small pebbles as he tossed them out into the water. Neither Bruce nor Albert had gotten back into touch with him in the past few days, and Alfred hadn't picked up the phone at his constant, almost excessive phone calls to the Manor. The curiosity was almost killing him. He <em>needed<em> to know why it was that Bruce had been hacking into the Titan's database.

He knew that was his downfall. Needing to defeat someone or needing to know the reason behind something. Not knowing something or not being able to succeed at something was usually where his pride kicked in. That's when he let it get the better of him.

Robin had picked up an unusually large rock and had been thumbing the dirt off of it. All of his frustration and anger bubbled up into him and he pulled his arm back, throwing the rock forward with as much force as he could muster. When he released the rock, a pool of black magic surrounded it, holding it mid-air, exactly where he had left contact. He felt his heart skip a beat and his blood pulse through his veins as they often did when he was met with something that either shocked or surprised him. When the slow, female, alto voice spoke, it sent chills down his spine.

"I'm back, Robin."


End file.
